The Leipzig Model Myth or Reality?

The Leipzig Model describes how civil servants in Leipzig, a city in the former East Germany, cope with the challenges stemming from the uneven economic conditions that continue to exist after the reunification. The analysis reviews a series of recent successes achieved by the managerial leaders of Leipzig who have been able to compete and excel in comparison with civil servants in Western Germany and the bureaucracies of several other European Union countries. The book also investigates the local "civic culture" that is behind the driving forces of the city's leaders. Leipzig's "local political culture" is outlined and its key elements are defined. In addition to examining the professional strength of the city's civil servants, the book analyzes the strategies being used by the mayor and city managers of Leipzig to achieve such successes and compares these strategies to some current organizational theories and models.

Jean-Claude Garcia-Zamor is a professor of public administration at Florida International University.